Venturing over...

Hi all - from tomorrow I'm stepping up to 1000 (3a), after a successful run of SS+ and a surprisingly productive fortnight of 810. Been lurking here for a week or so, anticipating this moment.

Am hoping that I'll still lose, but a little more slowly to finally achieve my goal weight - which I changed today (in agreement with my CDC) from 70kg/11st to 68kgs/10st 10lbs. That just a smidge over 2kg/4lbs to go based on my current weight. CDC suggested that slowing it down now should help to bring me in a more stable and certain way to my (new) goal weight, which isn't so very far away. I hope she's right. I'd like to get to it by October, but not too far below it.

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

Thanks all - am nervous (anticipation, so close to goal etc) but glad to be here!

CurlyWurly - I'm so-o-o-o looking forward to fruit myself! I had none in the house this morning except bananas (DOH's banana stash - untouchable by anyone else, on pain of strop!) so had the childlike joy of going to the food section in M&S at lunchtime today and choosing fruits... all for me OMG I have missed raspberries!!! And strawbs - I'm a red/berry fruit person, and to have those even in controlled amounts is a luxury! (I think I nearly cried, so excited and overwhelmed was I at the prospect!)

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

A few weeks in and now up to 1200, and the most remarkable changes seem to have occured.

Firstly, I got to goal... and am now beyond it.

I reintroduced some exercise (not triathlon or anything too manic!) and it's gradually toning my new body and also having a little accelerative push on the remaining slower weight loss. Moving up to 1500 this weekend, so last phase for me now. With the exercise, I have a mass of energy - which is good because I'm diverting it to things I've been too lethargic to be bothered about for years.

And almost without noticing my head is catching up with my body. Now this one I thought may be tougher and take longer to arrive with me - but my thinking is changed/still changing, and the same dedication I gave to SS+ is naturally directed towards maintenance. Some work in my yoga class may have contributed here - my teacher sagely promised us that with a particular sequence, done correctly, visualised intentions can be fuelled and take on life. And my intention, 7 weeks ago, was to become at one with the new me - then a stranger. Yoga rocks!

I no longer go by autopilot to the large sizes in clothes shops!!!

My big revelation - I have the occasional treat (a sweet, a cake etc) - but it's under control rather than rampaging as it was prior to CD. I compromise by buying small (literally - mini ones, 'kidsize' packs etc, and also Weight Watchers versions of treats) and I realise that it's the initial taste that's the pleasure - not the volume. This one was a mind-over-matter challenge to myself - I know that in maintenance I will encounter sweets and cakes, and other treats - and I was veryfearful. Trigger time So I felt the fear and tackled it head on - and have small size packets of Haribo unopened in my house. Have had for weeks. Not interested. (Unheard of, for me!!!) I can now leave treats untouched without a compulsive desperation to consume them. Even Haribo, it seems.

I know when I am full and satisfied - and I never had that tangible sensation previously. I can throw any remaining food away without guilt. And I can control portions too - never could before. That's SS+ for you!

I don't need salt, by and large. When I do (porridge!) I have a pinch of Lo-Salt. That tub is going to last years - possibly forever.

And my relationship with my DOH is significantly improving

How did I not realise CD would change my life quite so much?..

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

Wow hon..
Amazing, you have done so well...... what an achievement. You sound like you have really made the right decision and gone about things in the best way.
Especially having haribos in your house and not eating them.. I love them so much. That is fab though its keeping control I think knowing there there and knowing that if you want some you can but not wanting them.
I think thats what diets are about you want things because you cant have them but when you know you can have them its alot easier..
Amazing, really pleased for you hon you have done so well.
All the best maintaining your head sounds like its in the right place you will do fab x

well done hun! you sound so focused and confident in moving up the steps its a real motivator!
how have you found your losses while working up the plans?
I'm on 810 now after a weekend off plan, but i'm going to enjoy having an evening meal tonight!

Excel tells me that on SS+ my average in lbs was a jolly decent 4.3 per week. On 810 it went to an average of 2.2 lbs per week. On 1000 an average of 1.8 lbs per week. On 1200 it weirdly went up to 2.2 lbs - until I remembered that I now have excess energy (a new discovery!) and actually did a lot of exercise during that period of time!

I just reduced my exercise a little (to a more slob-like 3 power walks and 2 yoga classes per week) and it's slowed down again, and looking like settling - but I'm only half a week into 1500 and still getting accustomed.

The most peculiar thing about 1200 and 1500 has been just how much food there is - yes, there's the 'not used to this much' factor after such a long period of SS+ and the lower plans. But it's not just that - I would rarely have eaten the quantities I am able to now before CD. At times it feels quite 'taboo'... but I guess it's getting used to what's going in now, and the fact that it's better balanced, more nutritious and doesn't involve large amounts of el vino plonko and masses of Haribo.

How are you finding 810 so far Lizz?

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

Hey Miss Pinky, just read through your diary. Am thrilled that you have got to your goal and are feeling so in control of your portions and your choices. A lot of what you say about sweets and treats rings true with me.

You are doing so well Miss P! I wish I had your determination and focus. Unfortunately i'm not yet in a place where I can keep sweets and snack foods in the house as sooner or later I will devour them in one sitting...

Hopefully I'll get to where you are at some point - what's your secret

Excel tells me that on SS+ my average in lbs was a jolly decent 4.3 per week. On 810 it went to an average of 2.2 lbs per week. On 1000 an average of 1.8 lbs per week. On 1200 it weirdly went up to 2.2 lbs - until I remembered that I now have excess energy (a new discovery!) and actually did a lot of exercise during that period of time!

How are you finding 810 so far Lizz?

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its super to see that although the losses to reduce as you work up the plans, they dont disappear which is my fear at the moment!
810 is....ok.....! I like having some food but i'm finding that i'm back to constantly thinking about food and finding myself hungry. I'm determined not to let the cravings etc win so i'm battling through and drowning the thoughts with lots of water! lol.
I'm looking forward to having some breakfast when i move up to 1000 if im honest.
You have done so well you are most certainly someone i'm keeping an eye on for hints and tips! Couldnt keep the sweets in the house just yet though...its bad enough with all the baking chocolate in the house lol

You are doing so well Miss P! I wish I had your determination and focus. Unfortunately i'm not yet in a place where I can keep sweets and snack foods in the house as sooner or later I will devour them in one sitting...

Hopefully I'll get to where you are at some point - what's your secret

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I have absolutely no idea about that one, I'm afraid! And only DOH is more surprised than me I increased the Haribo stash... and still no touchy touchy. Baffling!

But the mind over matter thing is certainly helped by yoga and meditation - sounds really tree-huggy I know, and more than a little bit strange, but it helps.

Another trick of mine now is to buy sugarless sweets (it's actually a brand name). They're sweets for diabetics, and are tasty enought to hit the sweet spot without much damage.

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

Baking chocolate is a sore point for me for another reason, Lizz... while I was 'indisposed' on SS+ and beyond, DOH apparently raided my (I thought well-hidden) stash of Green & Black's cooking chocolate (actually intended for my celebration cake baking exploits) and wiped out all but a few small chunks! Swine. I hope his teeth rot and fall from his jawbones

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

its super to see that although the losses to reduce as you work up the plans, they dont disappear which is my fear at the moment!
810 is....ok.....! I like having some food but i'm finding that i'm back to constantly thinking about food and finding myself hungry. I'm determined not to let the cravings etc win so i'm battling through and drowning the thoughts with lots of water! lol ...

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At first, with the increased food amounts on 810 then 1000 later, I kept thinking about food also, and felt very weird about it. But I did SS+, which I think made coping with food easier in some respects because food never went away completely. I had some hunger with the increased quantities at 810 and 1000, which I ended up forceably ignoring so it didn't get the better of me and lead to impulse eating. Water also helped me, presumably by (literally) filling the gaps!

Keep that determination, Lizz - reinforce it when you can, nurture it, inject belief into it and it will become second nature. (OMG I sound all tree-huggy again!)

Been trying to think on how I got into this mindset, and I think fear is a large part of it. Fear of losing what I've now gained (a figure, slimness, self esteem, self respect etc); fear of putting on weight (no-o-o-o-o!); fear of anything that might lead to those things. I tend to believe it's not healthy to live in fear (or any other strongly negative state) so always try to transform (think/believe/manipulate/will) that kind of negative energy into something positive. Turn it on its head. I think that's how I've arrived in this mindset.

My weight loss/maintenance since reaching goal:GOAL 2 - maintain!...and if I lose a little more, then great!(erm... lost a little bit more - oops! )

I am just going up through the plans and having a little crisis of confidence after coming out of the relative safety of SS so it's really positive to read about your experiences - thanks. I haven't overeaten or anything but just wobbling a bit and thinking 'this can't possibly work' - perhaps I'm destined for a life of ricocheting between eating 'normally' (which was what piled on the flab in the first place) and having SS as a safety net. I need to get my head around the maintenance plans and your post has really helped. The bit about the taste rather than volume is so true for me too. At the moent it feels like walking on a knife edge but I guess I'll relax a bit as time goes on

I am just going up through the plans and having a little crisis of confidence after coming out of the relative safety of SS so it's really positive to read about your experiences - thanks. I haven't overeaten or anything but just wobbling a bit and thinking 'this can't possibly work' - perhaps I'm destined for a life of ricocheting between eating 'normally' (which was what piled on the flab in the first place) and having SS as a safety net. I need to get my head around the maintenance plans and your post has really helped. The bit about the taste rather than volume is so true for me too. At the moent it feels like walking on a knife edge but I guess I'll relax a bit as time goes on

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From what i see, maintenance and life beyond CD is all about balance. If you over eat, there is a need for acceptance, and then just get back "on track" the following day and let the weight come back off naturally. It seems this is how "normal" people eat....which is brand new to me, and most of us i think! lol
Just dont get trapped in the binge/starvation routine as that will make you worse in the long run!
xx

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